Fat Frog Diary

If you haven't tried brining your meat, then I urge you to give it a try. I was a skeptic too until last fall, when we brined a turkey for Thanksgiving. What a huge difference! This is insanely flavorful and juicy. It also works well in the oven. You'll never try to swallow another dry pork chop, honey. Trust me.     Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

This is definitely NOT low carb! However, because it's not out of a box, it's better for you. Besides, it keeps the kids happy.

Okay, so it's not perfectly low carb. Still, this lightweight quiche is plenty meaty. Because it's not a heavy meal, and the "ham" can be Spam, this is a great shelf special to have around for when the girls drop by and stay for lunch!

>>> Who wants to fire up the oven in this heat? Not me! I used an electric skillet for this recipe and avoided fainting from the heat prostration. I've said it a million times-- Go join SavingDinner.com and get the Low Carb/Body Clutter menus. Talk about easy!

Been awhile since I posted a recipe, hasn't it? This one is surprisingly easy and good! I used one of those unseasoned pork loins and cut it into chops myself. This is easier than trying to find the correct thickness at a price you can afford. However, I had a huge problem finding the worcestershire sauce for chicken. I finally gave up and used regular worcestershire sauce. It came out fine.

(Reprised and expanded from a post on LapBandTalk.com) I look like a commercial! You know the ones where the person holds out their too-baggy clothes to show the "gap" between waistband and belly? That's me! My formerly-favorite jeans slid off my hips and hit the floor in a puddle recently. My daughter laughed and said, "Guess we're breaking out the sewing machine, huh Mom?" My wedding ring now resides around my neck on a silver chain after I almost lost it down the kitchen sink while doing dishes. I feel so naked! But the biggest triumph happened this morning. I have a pair of leather jeans that were my "goal" jeans for the past ten years. Ten years! The friggin' things cost $200 in 1997, and I was going to wear them "someday." Today was that day. After rummaging through my closet to find jeans that fit, my eyes fell on the leather jeans. The demon of low self-esteem sat on one shoulder, telling me I was nowhere near thin enough, but...

I'm on a massive deadline for my publisher. Believe it or not, I have a stack of recipes to scan and post that's over two inches tall! Please be patient. Good eats will come to thos who wait. LOL!

Okay, I'm cheap. I freely admit that. Flank Steak and Skirt Steak are cheap cuts compared to Sirloins and T-bones in my grocery stores. However, without a marinade and some correct cutting, I could use the meat for rubber bands around here. So, this variation of a marinade sould do the trick nicely. I don't have a blender, but I figure my food processor will do. I've been marinating in zip-top bags for years. Don't forget to get all the air out of the bag before sealing and mush-mush-mush!   A bonus for me: I don't have to heat up my kitchen and make my a/c labor anymore than it already has to.     Skirt Steak from Alton Brown   Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup soy sauce 4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2 2 large cloves garlic 1/4 cup lime juice 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar or Mexican brown sugar 2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces Special equipment...

Yes, it's strange to think about. Trust me. It's good! I do recommend taking your time with whipping the pudding. Get it very thick, but not set. (A spoon drawn through the mix leaves an impression, but it's still not solid.) Beat with an electric mixer until mixture is fluffy and thick, about double in volume. (If you chill the beaters, this works well) I just throw the beaters in the fridge before starting the recipe.   This trick is also great for just using with molds without the recipe below. You end up with a frothy, lightweight dessert you can add a few berries to, and top with Cool Whip Free for a spectacular warm weather dessert. I happen to own a pile of molds (I'm a collector) so for me, this is a fast trick to make plain old Jello look special.   Non-dieters: If you happen to have a graham cracker crust pie shell, you can also pour the whipped Jello into the shell and let it chill that way.     Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depra...

This is so versatile, you can make it many ways. Just use diet Jello and Splenda instead. It can be molded (or not) and you can add fruit if your diet allows. Mine allows berries, so we can dress this up a bit. It sounds weird, but I swear, it's cool and refreshing. Lena Austin http://www.lenaaustin.com/ http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

I'm on a low fat diet, seems high blood-pressure is not a good thing. So, I've been collecting new recipes and this one is really good. (I love onions!) Everyone likes onion dip. But are you watching your weight? Then, try this low fat onion dip recipe. It's a different flavor from the packaged variety that most of us are used to, but I love the freshness of it and the little bit of bite the fresh onions add to it. It's all taste with less calories. You'll never even know it's a low fat recipe! Don't stop with just the ingredients listed below, get creative and add a variety of different onions to spice up the flavor. What you'll need: - 1 cup low fat cottage cheese - 1/4 cup scallions (finely chopped) - 2 teaspoons lemon juice This is just one of many easy appetizer recipes. All you need to do is combine the cottage cheese and lemon juice and blend it in a blender or food processor. Then, add the scallions and stir. Put the dip in a bowl and...

Underneath the sarcasm and attitude, there's a sincere message about safety with fireworks.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKelrScS58&feature=PlayList&p=F1032E63790470E8&index=1&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL   I also happen to agree with him about identifying idiots when they're small and grabbing 3000 F sparklers. Yeah. Feel free to share around. Gives the rest of the world another reason to laugh at us. Like they don't have enough already. "Stupid rich Americans..."   Granted and stipulated. We are rich Americans. We like being rich Americans. This is one of the many ways we identify the stupid members of our population. You see, Darwin was right. In nature, stupidity is self-correcting.   Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com

The other day, my DD3 and I looked over one of my many low carb cookbooks and found a new recipe for Portobella Pizzas. The only difference between this and any other individual pizza recipe was the substitution of a portobella mushroom for the bread, dough, English muffin, or crust of any kind. Intrigued, we tried it that night. As usual, we made our own marinara sauce, threw on a few turkey pepperoni slices, some ground beef, and of course, CHEESE. Because portobella mushrooms are a little drier than buttons, you just flip them on their backs, stuff the cap with your goodies, and bake long enough for the sauce to heat and the cheese to melt. Fast, easy, and gooooood! Don't over-cook the portobella if you're the kind who thinks mushrooms are slimy. They're better almost raw, really. Now for my version of Devil Burgers without the Sin of bread... Mix: 1 lb ground beef ¼ c. minced onion ¼ c. Chili sauce 2 tsp. Horseradish 2 t. Worcestershire sauce 2 t. prepared mustard 1 t. ...

Breakfast on the Go Running late for work? Trying to get the kids off to school? Do these scenarios sound familiar? Too often, the pace of everyday life leaves us with little time to cook and prepare healthy meals — especially breakfast. Often, it seems easier to grab a bagel or doughnut on the way to the office or even skip breakfast altogether. But both of these practices can sabotage your healthy lifestyle. Eating refined carbs are likely to cause cravings to return, and skipping breakfast may encourage you to overeat throughout the day. Fortunately, there are a number of delicious South Beach Diet–approved breakfast options that are perfect for eating on the go. Here, some Phase-specific choices: Phase 1: Precooked deviled or hard-boiled eggs (hard-boiled eggs will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week) Celery sticks with natural, no-added-sugar peanut butter Single-serve nonfat or one-percent cottage-cheese cups Turkey bacon (plan ahead and cook up some slices ahead...

Really, I think this is interesting. I am not willing to bike, run, or swim to make up for these momentary thrills. Personal message: I saw this story on Yahoo! Food and thought that you might be interested. What Chain-Food Favorites Cost in Exercise - Yahoo! Fresh Picks on Yahoo! Food http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/9960/what-chain-food-favorites-cost-in-exercise/   Yahoo! Food http://food.yahoo.com

Lemon and Herb Rubbed Pork Chops Ingredients 1-1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 8 cloves garlic, minced 4 pork loin chops, cut 1-1/4 inches thick Directions For rub, in a small bowl combine lemon peel, rosemary, salt, sage, pepper, and garlic. Trim fat from chops. Sprinkle rub evenly over both sides of chops; rub in with your fingers. For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above pan. Place chops on grill rack over pan. Cover; grill for 35 to 40 minutes or until chops are slightly pink in centerand juices run clear (160F), turning once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking. Grill as above.) Makes 4 chops. Nutrition Facts Calories 292,Total Fat (g) 10,Saturated Fat (g) 4,Monounsaturated Fat (g) 5,Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1,Cholesterol (mg) 105,Sodium (...

It's been a stressful two months with my husband out of work. We saw financial ruin at every turn and panicked daily at 3 AM. I'm a stress eater, and for awhile there I tested my band and hovered at gaining weight despite a band with close to 9 cc's in it. I gained and lost, adding more unnecessary stress to my life. Even when I thought I was watching my carbs, I refused to keep a food log. I truly believed I was limiting my stress by allowing myself some freedom. (Self-delusion time! Call me Cleopatra, Queen of Denial!) This weekend, I decided "enough is enough" and went back to my doctor's advice about keeping a food log. Immediately, I got results. The two pounds I'd gained dropped off me, and I was shocked to discover I once again –quite deservedly, I might add!-- had to go through with withdrawal from my carb addiction. I'm now back on track and less than one pound away from where I was when all my troubles and stress began. I now know the value o...